December 05, 2008

Timex Ironman Race Trainer Giveaway

And there's more good news: they're willing to ship internationally, so anyone can enter to win!

Would you like to find out how to enter, learn more about the product, get some training tips, and listen to Crabby's little lecture on Number Theory?

Wait a second, did she just say Number Theory? Sorry, we just all remembered we had an important appointment to have our Cockapoo's toenails trimmed ...

Yes, I did say number theory, but don't run away! I don't mean the kind of number theory that mathematicians talk about. If you want to learn about Euler's theorem, the law of quadratic reciprocity, or the Möbius function, you'll have to go elsewhere. I don't know bupkus about that stuff. This is a different kind of number theory.

Crabby's Theory About Fitness and Numbers

As it happens, the Ironman thingy is not just a way to measure your heartrate so you don't kill yourself by running too fast until your heart explodes. It also lets you "analyze comprehensive workout data to enhance workouts, track progress and ... attain training goals."

Which made me think a warning was in order. I figured it might be a good time to offer up my Numbers Theory, even though I don't follow it very well myself.

Here goes:

When using workout data to improve exercise performance and motivation, only pay attention to the GOOD numbers. Bad numbers don't count.

Run your fastest 3 miles ever? That's excellent! You rock! A great reason to keep training.

Fail to do eight push-ups today when last week you could do twelve? Screw it., just ignore that Bad number. It didn't count.

What counted is that you tried, and that you're going to keep doing push-ups until you can do more again. You still rock!

So in addition to your awesome new fancy-pants fitness gadget, remember to consult your effortometer. Whichever gives you the most credit, that's the measurement that counts.

(Note: If you are a professional athlete, ignore this advice. Listen to your coach instead or you may find yourself out of a job).

Now enough about Number Theory, let's get on with the giveaway!

Why You Might Really Like the Ironman Race Trainer HRM:

I'm not lucky enough to own one myself, so I'll quote from the promotional materials:

The Timex Ironman Race Trainer Kit is a downloadable HRM system that includes:

Race Trainer digital heart rate monitor

Digital 2.4 heart rate sensor and strap

Data Xchanger USB device, and

Free access to Timex Ironman online training site.

Furthermore, "The Data Xchanger enables 2-way communication between the Race Trainer and a PC, transferring workout data to a free Timex Ironman online training site powered by TrainingPeaks. Track your training calendar, performance, personal data and nutrition with the ability to modify your HRM and watch settings from your desktop all in one step."

I gotta say I'm pretty jealous.

More Stuff Over at Their Training Website

Timex also has a website you can check out at Timextrainer.com. It's got training programs, downloads, videos, and a blog, all of which sounds very nice and whatever, but what caught my eyes was that there is a 60 minute FREE RUNNING MUSIC DOWNLOAD there.

You guys, go ahead and download training programs and run your asses off. I'm going to check out the music. It sounds likes it's fast (150bpm) and I'm all about FREE.

How You Can Win the Ironman HRM System

No poetry necessary this time (although we always appreciate health and fitness poems, haikus, and limericks. It really brightens our day).

To enter, just leave a comment saying why you might like an Ironman HRM, so we know you're actually entering and not just stopping by to chat, which we also love. (We'd just rather the prize goes to someone who wants it). A random number generator will pick the winner. Note: if you leave more than one comment, only your first comment will be assigned a number.

Contest closes Midnight (EST) Tuesday December 9th, winner announced sometime the next day, Dec 10th, and prize must be claimed (by emailing us or leaving a comment) by Friday night, December 12th.

Will the Timex HRM Get Crabby In This Kind of Shape? If so, Sign Her the Hell Up.

Good luck, and may the Random Number Generator pick a Good Number--yours!

UPDATE: So sorry, the winner was chosen. But if you'd like to get your hands on a similar one, here's a handy Amazon link:

Wow, that looks really nice! I'd love to have one. My husband (who lost 80.2 pounds this year) has made his 2009 resolution "to get in shape", since while thin is a shape, fit is what he'd rather be. I'd really adore having something like this to give him as a gift to encourage him for this upcoming year.

Also, I love your number theory! Bad numbers don't count! If I could get behind that philosophy, I'd be loads happier :-)

Would love this! for those of us that are floundering on our own (me, me, me:), this could realy help make sure we're not over or under doing things!I'd rhyme, but even when it's not 7am I don't do it well!

I'd love to win this! I have a 30 thing to do before 30 list and #1 is get in the best shape of my life and this gadget would surely help! And seeing as I only have about a year and a half left, I really need to get crackin!

I would love to have one! I'm a new mom of a six month old, and I'm slowly getting back into my running and weights. The weights are going fine but I'd love to have something to help me track my runs better and motivate me to get out there. I've been wanting a heart rate monitor for years now - me please! :)

Oh man, I would love one! I run on the treadmill (keep running or you will fall off is a great motivator) but am having a hard time making the transition to running outside (it is haaaard! *whine*) so I'd love something that helps me track how hard I'm working - and how much I'm improving!

Crabby,Don't consider me... I already have a HR monitor and all that... but I wanted to give some comments anyway, cause I am a total number cruncher. I have all this kind of data across 3 years of running and biking and a lot of numbers for the strength training stuff i do as well. I think there is something to be said about watching the bad numbers too. A lot of times if you look at the bad numbers you can find correlations between why a workout didnt go well and other things that were going on-- not enough calories in the tank, not enough water, etc. Sometimes the more you are willing to look at the bad numbers the more you can piece together the reason things weren't so great. and to me thats a lot nicer to know that I have worse runs in the afternoon than I do in the morning. i always remind myself that even a bad run does me good and sometimes its in giving me another piece of the puzzle as to why things didn't go as planned.

i hope the winner loves the timex. i started out with one before migrating over to garmin. i love both products.

I've been looking into buying a heart rate/run watch like this to help give me an extra incentive while running. I love gadgets and doohickeys and to be able to have my own personal data to use and analyse on the computer to track my improvement is a geeks dream :)

Ooo I'd love to have one as well. I recently drove by the Kona Ironman startline, and since I will probably never be able to get to Kona (Darn Marathon at the end!!), I figure having a HRM that says "Ironman" on it is the second best thing :)

Ooohhh....I'm new to the whole Cranky Fitness universe (although am rapidly becoming addicted)...I would be a fan for life if I won a heart rate monitor! More numbers to obsess over=always a good thing!~Meredith

I want one of these SO badly... I think it would really help motivate me to run outdoors. I am in pretty good shape, but I always hit the mat or the gym for a work out-- never going running or biking outside. I think it's because I need the evidence of what I accomplished in the end.

I'm not a runner, though I occasionally entertain the idea. But I'd still love the HR monitor! I had one a while back and somewhere along the line it disappeared, and I'd love to be able to use it to really get a good workout (sometimes teaching I don't push myself as hard as I could...)

I would love the trace trainer because whenever I do cardio on a machine, my heartrate goes up to explosion level. It would be great to use something a little better so I could know how worried I should be...

Cool! I've never broke down and purchased a HRM although I've considered it many times. I'd love to know my heart rate in spinning class vs. on the treadmill, etc. I am a big numbers person and think it would help my motivation to work a little harder on the treadmill. Thanks Cranky!!

Oh please let it be me who wins please! I have a dead Polar HRM/trainer that is similar and it needs to be replaced. New batteries don't fix the problem, and to have it looked at is $100 that's just diagnosis!

HRM training does work, and it's very motivating to be able to input your results. You might be surprised that HR training usually makes you go slower at first!

The reason I'd like an Ironman Race Trainer Heartrate Monitor System is because the guy I currently date is made out of flesh. I prefer something much harder and long lasting. I'm sure this would fit the bill.

I would like an Ironman Trainer because right now I only have the chest strap portion of a heart rate monitor. The important part was stolen when my husband left the car door unlocked overnight (he left it in there, too). I sadly cannot afford a new one. It's a nice tool to train for a race and pace yourself based on heart rate. It also tells you when you need to step it up a notch, which I need sometimes.

Since my hubby had a heart attack 3 months ago we have been very aware that we need to track our heart rates while exercising. And while he has been doing very well with it, i would love to be able to figure out my own and be doing my workouts accoringly :)Great giveaway!!

While this gadget terrifies me, I still want it. To think that I could be the type of person who would be so fit that they would actually track things like heartrate and miles covered and time per mile is kind of thrilling. I promise if I win to become THAT person, gulp, I think.

I would love to win the Timex trainer. I walk 5 miles 5x per week as part of my fitness plan, and I'm considering adding some jogging intervals - I'd love to be able to track my heart rate & stay in the correct zone while doing this.

Being an engineer, I am a numbers junkie. That is right - counting calories, tracking my workout minutes, my steps on a pedometer, etc is something that I love and motivates me. You would think that I have more things to do with my time than to update my Outlook calendar with this information, but I do it because it love looking at this information when I am feeling like a slob. A heart monitor would be great, because it would give me something else to track so that I can make more progress towards my health.

No, I'm not being facetious. (Do I get bonus points for spelling that correctly? I think I should. ;D)

I'd love a HRM ("an" HRM?) that I can wear on my wrist. I bought one that I could wear on my chest, but um. THAT was a dumb idea, and I never wear it. :P It would be nice to have one I could actually USE.

Oo! I'll trade you mine for yours, and then you can give MINE away! How about that? I never even wore it. (Well, I tried it on once. But then I realized what a pain it was, and I never wore it again. Good intentions and all that jazz!)

My wrist strap on my HRM just broke, so this would serve as a great upgrade. Love the fact that it uses a USB interface as the data transfer. Much more reliable than infrared. Come on random number generator, pick me!

This thing looks intimidating... just like exercise! But since exercise and I are working on making our relationship better, this could be a groovy addition. Also, the website kicks. Ive been laughing my booty off ;-) Love it!

OK, I think I'm working hard during my workouts (though I just noticed I rest longer than when I work with a trainer). So something that could show me how hard I'm working (have worked?) might be good.

Unfortunately, I tend to have wrist things (especially Timex things) stop working on me.

Wow, I have been thinking about getting a heart rate monitor forever, mostly because I don't trust online calorie calculators. Plus, I like gadgets, and working out, and knowing how many extra calories worth of chocolate I can have, oops, ignore that last part.

I so want that! This may sound strange-ish, but I am genetically probably-on-balance-gifted with naturally low blood pressure and heart rate. Alas, this does not help when it comes to intense or long-term exercise. I have had fits in aerobics classes where I was working so hard my lungs couldn't keep up but still couldn't get near my target heart rate. If I had some data and numbers I could attach to a work-out, I could see whether and when and how (under what conditions, with what kinds of exercise) I make progess. Please feed me to the random number generator!

How's this for numbers? 30. My 30th high school reunion is next summer. Right now I'm sporting a 98 pound weight loss and I'd love the HRM to help keep my butt moving so I can rock all through next year.

i would like one that i can either keep (if i'm feeling grinch-like) or gift to the boyfriend (if i'm feeling grinch post-heart upgrade-like). i'd most likely give it to him so he can stay motivated in training for his first tri as i know he'll have stumbling blocks along the way.

or i'll keep it so i can go forward instead of backward in mine like i did this year. either way. ;)

I would love, love, loveeee the Ironman HRM!! I lost 90 lbs since January 2007 and I just started running in addition to my circuit training/walks. Would be awesome to keep my heart from exploding while I get in shape!! :)

I'm finally getting back into the swing of fitness after finding my place in the working world. I played hockey up until college, which made it a task to put on weight, now that my life is filled with work and stress and no free time, it's hard to workout rather then use that time to rest. This would be a good motivator for me since I love technology... and who doesn't love free? Sign me up.

Oooh, international!! I would like this because I am training for my first marathon (!!) and I think this would help! Plus, I live in Japan and can't find cool gadgets like this over here (at least not in English!)

I'd love the trainer- it could really help me in my training for my first ever triathlon next June (while keeping my doctor happy!). Plus I love "stuff"- triathlon is really making me happy because there are so many cool bits of kit

I'd love the trainer- it could really help me in my training for my first ever triathlon next June (while keeping my doctor happy!). Plus I love "stuff"- triathlon is really making me happy because there are so many cool bits of kit

OOH, okay, I really want the monitor because, (a) I busted my previous one by wearing it while aquajogging, (b) I'm too poor to get both a heart rate monitor AND fresh produce and (c) I can totally rock the black chest strap.

I would use it to get more effective outdoor runs in for my first marathon in may. It's the Edinburgh Marathon! I'm excited! Plus my current financial situation does not alow for all the training gear I want ;(

Sounds wonderful! I've been lusting after a HRM for about a year now, but I can't come up with the cash (student budget). Also as an Aussie, thanks so much for having a giveaway that I have a shot at getting!

Sign me up for the giveaway! I am new to Cranky Fitness, but as the dark, cold northern new england winter arrives, it provides humor in spite of the 5:00 a.m. runs.

I am a indoor cycling, pilates, les mills, running instructor, personal trainer and motivator. I am starting a fitness coaching business and could really use it with clients. Oh...and I am aiming for a 1/2 ironman next summer!

Well, I am 44 years old, stand 5'4" in my bare feet and currently weigh 178lbs. I have lost 20lbs in the last 6 months and am on track for losing more. 2 years ago I gave birth to my one and only child, and as a result of that pregnancy have high blood pressure and the extra weight. It is NOT EASY losing weight at any age, but over 40 it is BAD. I would love a gadget that lets me monitor my heart rate, track my fitness and keep me motivated to continue on my quest to rediscover my collar bone. I know it is under there somewhere.

If you watch televised broadcasts of marathons, you'll notice all the folks who know what they're doing hit their watch as the cross the starting line and as they cross the finish line. At this point, I only aspire to be a "real" runner and this watch will make me at least look like a real runner. It's all in the perception, right?

I would oh' so love to win this... I would love the chance of winning this Race Trainer. I'm in need of any help to get me started. It's been 4 years since I've done anything (adopted a baby girl from Russia)and it's time to get motivated. I just purchased Jillian's book & DVD and need anything to help clear my mind from thinking. Anything to make it easier. I believe JM is going to kick my butt so bad but I'm determined to start before Christmas to get a head start of the new year. Any help would be great. Thanks from Oklahoma